Sustainability Metrics
Secondary Data
Chris Donovan
Food Systems Research Center
March 19, 2025
Introduction
Goals for secondary data:
Identify existing data and gaps
Explore methods of aggregating data
Structure of presentation:
Framework and methods
Preliminary results of case study
Uncertainty and sensitivity
Guiding questions:
How well do the data represesent the system?
Valuation, scaling, weighting, aggregation
Where and how do we incorporate qualitative data?
Intervale Farm, Sally McCay, UVM Photo
1. Framework and Methods
Conclusions
Findings:
Gaps in secondary data
Soil health, carbon stocks, water quantity
Food distribution, loss, and waste
Diversity of farm types, production diversity
Social dimension
Framework complexity and coherence
Stability and sensitivity
Influential indicators
Looking ahead:
Find more info on metrics and analysis at the
Sustainability Metrics methods website
Sustainability Metrics repository
References